 clickable | | Set an Intention Presence exacts its coin—our dearly held desire for self-preoccupation, and the fantasy of control that presumes to preside over and above. Mystics, artists, and prophets exemplify this surrender into solidarity; letting the self be moved by suffering and inspired by imagining. True spiritual practice harbors this same intention—the hand-over of self, that places us on a collision-course with grace and draws us into a deepened state of readiness. This holy intention leads to whole, undivided attention, where we come to know life in its raw fullness! —from the book Wandering and Welcome: Meditations for Finding Peace
by Joseph Grant |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"Guard against anger. But if it cannot be averted, let it be kept within bounds. For indignation is a terrible incentive to sin. It disorders the mind to such an extent as to leave no room for reason."
— St. Ambrose †MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"No creature ever loved Jesus Christ more ardently, nor showed more perfect submission to His will, than Mary, His mother. If then, this Savior, immolated for us sinners, gave His mother to us, an advocate and intercessor for all time, she cannot but comply with His request, and will not refuse us her assistance. Let us, then, not hesitate to implore her pity; let us have recourse to her with great confidence in all our necessities, as she is an inexhaustible source of blessing, bestowing her favors in proportion to the confidence placed in her."
— Dom Lorenzo Scupoli, p. 152
AN EXCERPT FROM
Spiritual Combat † VERSE OF THE DAY
"For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him [on] the last day."
John 6:40 |  click to read more | | ST. LEONARD OF NOBLAC St. Leonard of Noblac (d. 559 A.D.) also known as St. Leonard of Limoges, was a French nobleman in the court of Clovis I, King of France. He was converted to the Christian faith, along with the King, by St. Remigius, Bishop of Rheims. After his conversion he abandoned his worldly pursuits, left the royal court, and followed St. Remigius as a disciple. He obtained special permission from the king to release any prisoners whom he deemed worthy of pardon. He declined an offer of a bishopric and entered the monastery at Orleans to live a life of prayer and penance. Desiring greater solitude and penance than what the monastery allowed, he withdrew into a forest to live as a hermit. He built a small cell and lived on herbs and fruits. He soon attracted followers who joined him in his ascetic life. In thanksgiving for his prayers that the Queen of France would safely deliver her child, St. Leonard was given a large tract of royal land in Noblac. There the saint built an abbey where he served as abbot until his death. A village grew around the abbey that still exists today, named Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat. Numerous shrines are dedicated to St. Leonard across Europe, and thousands of miracles are credited to his intercession. He is the patron saint of prisoners and women in labor. His feast day is November 6th. | Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 489
Reading 1 PHIL 3:17—4:1 Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters,
and observe those who thus conduct themselves
according to the model you have in us.
For many, as I have often told you
and now tell you even in tears,
conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their end is destruction.
Their God is their stomach;
their glory is in their "shame."
Their minds are occupied with earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified Body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself. Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord, beloved. Responsorial Psalm PS 122:1-2, 3-4AB, 4CD-5 R. (1) Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. Alleluia 1 JOHN 2:5 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever keeps the word of Christ,
the love of God is truly perfected in him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 16:1-8 Jesus said to his disciples, "A rich man had a steward
who was reported to him for squandering his property.
He summoned him and said,
'What is this I hear about you?
Prepare a full account of your stewardship,
because you can no longer be my steward.'
The steward said to himself, 'What shall I do,
now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?
I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.
I know what I shall do so that,
when I am removed from the stewardship,
they may welcome me into their homes.'
He called in his master's debtors one by one.
To the first he said, 'How much do you owe my master?'
He replied, 'One hundred measures of olive oil.'
He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note.
Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.'
Then to another he said, 'And you, how much do you owe?'
He replied, 'One hundred measures of wheat.'
He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note;
write one for eighty.'
And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.
For the children of this world
are more prudent in dealing with their own generation
than the children of light." | Daily Meditation: Philippians 3:17–4:1 In this way . . . (Philippians 4:1) When you consult a map or listen to satellite navigation directions in your car, you do so with the assumption that the route indicated is true and correct. In this reading, St. Paul offers the Philippians (and us) directions to keep us on course with the Lord. Like a map, they offer us facts that will keep us from making a wrong turn. Fact #1: Your citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). You were created to dwell and be happy there with God forever. Through baptism into Jesus' death and resurrection, you have been made a citizen of heaven. Neither this world nor death is the end; neither has the final word. This fact can keep you from detouring into byways of deciding for yourself what is good or turning from God's ways. Fact #2: Jesus is coming again (Philippians 3:20). This can be a hard one to focus on and, sometimes, a scary one. So instead of being apprehensive about a cataclysmic final coming, consider this: Jesus comes every day. In your prayer time. In the Eucharist. In unexpected ways that catch you by surprise. As you deepen your relationship with him, you grow confident that his Second Coming is to be welcomed, and this fact becomes an open road uncongested by fears. Fact #3: Jesus will make your physical body conform with his glorified body (Philippians 3:21). You might now have pain, sickness, or weariness from observing the restrictions of a global epidemic or from some other health challenge. It will not always be so. One day your body will be whole and shining with God's glory. This fact is a roadway of hope, to keep you from veering off into despair. These facts, says St. Paul, will keep you on the right path. Remind yourself of them daily. Recall them when you find yourself preoccupied with "earthly things" like finances, possessions, or health. Proclaim them to yourself when heaven seems far away or your needs loom large. In your prayer, thank the Lord and rejoice in these facts, perhaps choosing a different one each day. Remember that Jesus always walks beside you. This is the way to stay on course and stand firm in the Lord. "Lord, thank you for providing directions to guide me home!" Psalm 122:1-5
Luke 16:1-8 |  clickable | Christianity is either love of God, or it is nothing.
— Hans Urs von Balthasar
from his note in Adrienne von Speyr's book Lumina / New Lumina | my2cents:
"For many, as I have often told you and now tell you even in tears, conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ."
What does this mean? Enemies of the cross? They are against the cross. That they are against the very will of our Father. That they will not support a message that contradicts their own thinking. That they will not surrender to God anything He asks for. And for many, this is the ultimate sin, a self made enemy of the very gift offered. | We pray with our Lord: "I rejoiced because they said to me, "We will go up to the house of the LORD." And now we have set foot within your gates, O Jerusalem."
It took much to rejoice at first. Because it cost so much to enter Jerusalem, the place where they kill prophets. To this day, Jerusalem is very Hostile to Christians. To this day, they say, there is a very small population, or control by Christians if any at all. So what's up with this Jerusalem message? Our Lord has made a new Jerusalem. Truly made in splendor of light. The only eyes that can see are the eyes that behold the Sacred Heart of Jesus. | Our Lord opened a parable with ""A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property."
how different is the story from the parable of the 10 virgin young women waiting for the groom? How different is the message that reminds us to "stay awake, for you do not know the hour"? This pandemic we are experiencing has brought upon us many evils. The world is showing you on media, which it controls, things it only wants you to see and hear. What attacks do I see though? I see attacks on the family. And how? Sleepy heads are being taken advantage of. What about our stewardship? What about squandering God's property? | From Bishop Barron's reflection today:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus praises a steward who cheats his master. Now, what do we make of this? It seems so peculiar especially in Luke's Gospel where Jesus has been teaching the radical message of detachment from worldly goods. But here he is giving his approval to a man who clings to wealth in an immoral way. Well, what gives?
Jesus wants us to see that this steward takes a hard look at his situation and decides to do something about it. Now, the Lord is not telling us to imitate his immorality. But what Jesus admires is his resolve. He knows his own weaknesses, he assesses himself honestly, and then he decides to act.
The Lord told the parable to urge us to carefully examine our spiritual condition. His desire is that we choose to renew our relationship with him. He wants us to take stock of our weaknesses and make a firm resolution to acquire necessary strengths to fix them.
If your prayer life is weak, act to give it new life. If you have not been worshiping fervently at Mass, decide to participate more fully. If you have a broken relationship, repair it. And so on. Decide now, then act." They say our Lord faced Jerusalem with a face like flint. It was decided, and it was straight, and it was a stone that would shoot at the heart of God's people.
Our Lord is calling us, not at the end of our life, to make amends, but now.
NOW is the time. Today is the day. Turn to Him this very moment. Repent of your sin, the enemy of the cross. Lord, why am I slow to render accounts? When will I give You all of my heart, my sins, my ugly self? When will I turn to You with a face like flint? I see many nowadays that are deciding not to have faith. Where there is no faith, there is no love, right? Teach us Lord, teach us to love You as we ought. Lord You made us, now make us Your children, we who desire and seek your face, every day, every moment, everything in being now.... | Random Bible verse from online generator:
Proverbs 25:15
15 With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | |
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